Thursday, March 25, 1999

SP no longer national party
NEW DELHI, March 24 — In a setback to the Samata Party, the Election Commission today derecognised it as a national party but granted to it the status of state party in Bihar, Haryana and Manipur on the basis of its performance in the elections last year.

Bihar Assembly adjourned amid uproar
PATNA, March 24 — The Bihar Assembly was today adjourned during zero hour amid pandemonium as opposition BJP members stalled the proceedings demanding the admission of their adjournment motion on the January 25 killing of 22 Dalits in Jehanabad’s Shankerbigha village.

CRPF holds debate on human rights
New Delhi, March 24 — How should one deal with a terrorist, when does an act become an excess, what are the factors responsible for an individual to turn against the society?

Suicide bid by woman fails, kills 2 kids
NEW DELHI, March 24 — A 27-year-old woman along with her two minor children attempted to commit suicide by jumping into a nullah in Chander Lok in north-east Delhi.

Speaker fumes at govt
BANGALORE, March 24 — Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker, Ramesh Kumar expressed his extreme displeasure at the government and threatened to adjourn the House today if he did not get its cooperation.

Centre’s order to prevail: AG

NEW DELHI, March 24 (PTI) — The Centre today submitted in the Supreme Court that it had sole power to allocate cases under the prevention of Corruption Act and its notification transferring cases against AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha from three Chennai special judges would prevail over the Tamil Nadu notification.

Attorney-General Soli Sorabjee contended before a Division Bench comprising Mr Justice G.T. Nanavati and Mr Justice S.P. Kurdukar that as the Centre has ‘lawfully’ exercised its power to allocate cases under Section 4(2) of the Act, the court could not find fault with it even if ‘the result may appear to be a little unseemly’.

Concluding his arguments in defence of the Centre’s February 5 notification, Sorabjee said as there were more than one special judges with area jurisdiction at Chennai, the Centre had exclusive power on allocation though the state government usurped the same under the guise of grouping the cases.

The Tamil Nadu Government by its April 30, 1997 notification had appointed three special judges to try a group of 46 cases against Jayalalitha, some of her erstwhile Cabinet colleagues and certain bureaucrats.

Sorabjee said the state government had merely enumerated the cases and not grouped them on any basis and added that the Centre’s notification had grouped the cases before various special judges on the basis of stages of investigation.

Arguments on the Centre’s power to issue the notification concluded but hearing on Jayalalitha’s petition challenging the state’s notification would continue on Wednesday next.

Sorabjee sought to allay apprehension of the state government that the Centre’s notification would delay the ongoing trial by saying that there had been an express provision in the Act for speedy trial and added that if the court felt appropriate direction could be issued in this regard.

Beginning arguments on Jayalalitha’s petition challenging the validity of the state government’s April 30 notification, senior advocate K.K. Venugopal submitted that the grouping of cases against the AIADMK leader was without any basis.

The three courts of special judges were created at Chennai having area jurisdiction over the city only and expressed surprise as to how the state government could assign them cases arising from different areas like Kanyakumari, Dindigul and Madurai to these judges who had no jurisdiction over these cases.

SP no longer national party

NEW DELHI, March 24 (PTI) — In a setback to the Samata Party, the Election Commission today derecognised it as a national party but granted to it the status of state party in Bihar, Haryana and Manipur on the basis of its performance in the elections last year.

"The Samata Party is no longer entitled to continued recognition as a national party. It is entitled to recognition only as a state party in Bihar, Haryana and Manipur.

"Accordingly, the status of national party granted to it is hereby withdrawn. The symbol "flaming torch" will stand reserved for the parties in these three states, the commission said in a six page order.

The commission said it came to this conclusion after a review of the party’s poll performance following the general elections to Lok Sabha and to the legislative assemblies of Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

The order said the party fulfilled the condition for recognition as state party only in Bihar, Manipur and Haryana. In the 1998 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, the party returned 10 members out of 54 elected from that state and had also polled 15.74 per cent of the total valid votes polled from that state.

In all other states and union territories, its poll performance falls short of the required standards for the purpose of recognition.

Before withdrawing its recognition as a national party, the commission gave it an opportunity to represent its case before it.

Party General Secretary Jaya Jaitly appeared before the commission on February 1 and sought more time to enable the party to collect material from the state units and party candidates who contested the elections.

The commission allowed one month time to the party for the purpose and adjourned the hearing. Subsequently the party neither filed any reply nor any of its representatives appeared before the commission on the next date of hearing on March 19.

"It is, therefore, clear that the party has nothing to state or represent in the matter," the commission said adding that it no longer entitled to continued recognition as a national party.

IMPHAL: Meanwhile Samata Party’s Manipur unit was jolted on Wednesday with the resignation of 13 senior leaders, including its Vice-President and two General Secretaries, alleging the involvement of Party President Basanta Kumar Wangkhem in drug trafficking, a charge hotly denied by him.

The leaders in a joint statement said party’s National President George Fernandes had not honoured the collective decision of the majority of executive committee members to remove Wangkhem from his post.

Mr Wangkhem told PTI that he would file a defamation case against the leaders for their allegation and retire from politics if the charges against him were proved.

"I have no connection with drug trafficking and if somebody can prove the charges, I will not contest any election and quit politics forever," he said.

Newspaper clippings on the arrest of Wangkhem’s daughter Rani Wangkhem and one Tenzing Sherpa in connection with drug trafficking by customs officials at Delhi in February, 1995 were also circulated with the joint statement.

Mr Wangkhem said charges or allegations of drug trafficking against his family were not related to or connected with him.

Among those who resigned were vice president M. Indrasen Singh, General Secretaries G.I. Sharma and Lukhoi Singh, Yuva Samata state unit President M.A. Razzaq, executive member Nabakumar Singh, the statement said.

Cong sets up panel on minorities
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, March 24 — The Congress today announced constitution of a 17-member panel under a senior leader, Mr Arjun Singh, to draw an action plan for the implementation of intensified programme for the welfare and protection of minorities.

The committee will include the CWC members — Dr Manmohan Singh, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mr Oscar Fernandes — the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson, Dr Najma Heptulla, the UPCC Chief, Mr Salman Khursheed, and the former Chief Ministers, Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Mr A.R. Antulay.

Mr H S Hanspal, Mr K R Rehman, Mrs Margaret Alva, Mr Irshad Mirza, Mr Gandhi Raj, Mr Raja Mohammed Amir Khan, Mr Sultan Ahmed, Dr Rajendra Jain and AICC Secretary, Mr Imran Kidwai are the other members of the panel, which is to present its report to the Congress President by April 20.

Briefing the media, the Chairman of the AICC Minorities Affairs Department, Mr Arjun Singh said the party would not allow any attempt to victimise minorities by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar.

The Department of Minority Affairs was set up during January this year, with the main responsibility of implementing the intensified programmes released earlier.

Priority was gives to the four states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Orissa where Congress governments were in power.

The Governments were asked to give an assessment about the status in their respective states about the issues mentioned in the programme.

The Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Shiela Dikshit, said that her government would give top priority to the issue of compensation and relief to the 1984 riot-affected Sikh families.

She assured that her government would try to ensure that pending cases in this regard were cleared in the next three months.

She also said a three-member minorities commission and minorities finance commission were being set up shortly.

On the demand for Punjabi and Urdu to be made second languages, the Delhi Chief Minister was of the view that this would be attended to by August/September this year as it would give time to the government to evaluate the public response to such a decision.

Bihar Assembly adjourned amid uproar

PATNA, March 24 (PTI) — The Bihar Assembly was today adjourned during zero hour amid pandemonium as opposition BJP members stalled the proceedings demanding the admission of their adjournment motion on the January 25 killing of 22 Dalits in Jehanabad’s Shankerbigha village.

As soon as zero hour began after an extended question hour, BJP members wanted to know the fate of their adjournment motion on the carnage.

Deputy Speaker Jagbandhu Adhikari, who was in the chair, told them that their motion had been rejected and asked those who had given their notices for zero hour to read them out.

The BJP MLAs strongly reacted to the ruling and demanded that the motion be admitted as it concerned the “slaughter” of Dalits by the Ranvir Sena, the banned private army of upper caste landlords.

Sonia’s silence on Bihar ‘dubious’
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, March 24 — The BJP today asked the Congress to clarify its stand on Bihar and accused the AICC President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, of maintaining “dubious” silence on the issue.

Addressing newspersons, the BJP spokesman, Mr K.L. Sharma, said the Congress spokespersons, one after the other, have been asking the Bihar Chief Minister, Mrs Rabri Devi, to step down owning moral responsibility of the massacre of 35 persons in Senari village of Jehanabad district on Friday but Mrs Gandhi was maintaining a dubious silence on it which was intriguing.

Mr Sharma said that Mrs Gandhi should break her silence and let the people know what she felt about the recent massacre as also the role of the state government.

Good civil-military ties stressed
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, March 24 — The annual civil-military liaison conference was held at the Delhi area headquarters, Delhi Cantonment here today.

The conference was inaugurated by the Lt Governor of Delhi, Mr Vijai Kapoor, General Officer Commanding Delhi Area, Major General S K Awasthy presided over the conference.

The Chief Secretary of Delhi, the Delhi Vidyut Board Chairman, the Commissioner of Police, District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police from Gurgaon, Rewari, Faridabad in Haryana and NOIDA in Uttar Pradesh participated in the conference.

Mr Vijai Kapoor, emphasised the need to have closer interaction at the grassroots level between the Army and the civil administration. He said the civil administration should help the services personnel when they approach it with their problems.

The Lt-Governor also said that if the administration looked after the welfare of the families of those personnel serving in difficult areas, their performance would be much better.

Citing the example of the work undertaken by the Army when a breach had taken place at the Western Yamuna canal last year, he said that it was only due to the timely intervention by the Army that any major untoward incident could be prevented.

Mr Vijai Kapoor noted that the Army’s help could be utilised in times of need in such areas like taking on the role of maintaining power supply so that there is uninterrupted electricity supply to hospitals and important establishments.

Mr Vijai Kapoor also appreciated the work done by the headquarters Delhi area, in various national and international ceremonial functions.

CRPF holds debate on human rights
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 24 — How should one deal with a terrorist, when does an act become an excess, what are the factors responsible for an individual to turn against the society?

The personnel were participating in the inter-paramilitary forces human rights debate competition organised by the Central Reserve Police Force.

The participants dwelt on the topic: ‘Is human rights restricted to its observance or extends to the protection of the rights of others’.

The participants also stated the contradiction they faced while putting into practice the ‘one bullet, one person’ norm.

Suicide bid by woman fails, kills 2 kids
From Our Correspondent

NEW DELHI, March 24 — A 27-year-old woman along with her two minor children attempted to commit suicide by jumping into a nullah in Chander Lok in north-east Delhi.

While the woman, Veena, was fished out from the nullah by the Delhi fire service personnel, her nine-month-old daughter, Sweety, and one-and-half-year old son, Khushboo, died in dirty water of the nullah. Family discord is suspected to be the reason behind the extreme step. Her husband, Rajkumar, was reportedly absconding, police said.

The incident took place at 3.55 a.m. The fire brigade reached there at 4.15 a.m. and fished out woman and her children. They were taken to GTB hospital where the children were declared brought dead while the woman was unconscious.

In another incident, a 27-year-old woman committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan in her house in Arya Nagar. When this incident took place her husband and child were sleeping. The reason for the suicide is yet not known.

In yet another incident, a 24-year-old woman, Munni Devi, was killed and six others injured when an ambulance of DDU hospital carrying a body was allegedly hit by speeding Tata 407 in Mangolpuri area of West Delhi, the police said.

Speaker fumes at govt

BANGALORE, March 24 — Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker, Ramesh Kumar expressed his extreme displeasure at the government and threatened to adjourn the House today if he did not get its cooperation.

Mr Kumar virtually exploded when he found that Revenue Minister, B. Somasekhar was absent.Mr Kumar while pulling up the government asked “what should I tell the member, who has raised the issue. The minister has not informed me also”.

Atomic project to go critical
NEW DELHI: The third stage of the Rajasthan Atomic power project (RAPP) is likely to go critical this July and could serve as a save load station for the northern grid. The commissioning of the stage with 220mw capacity will be followed up with the completion of the next phase. The state-of-the-art RAPP’s fourth stage, also with a capacity of 220mw, is planned to be commissioned by July next year, according to the central government’s performance budget review. — UNI

IG shifted in Bihar
PATNA: The Rabri Devi Government in Bihar has brought back Mr Anil Kumar as Inspector-General of Police, Special Branch, and transferred the present incumbent, Mr Abhayanand, to the post of Inspector-General, Training. Mr Anil Kumar, who was holding the post prior to the imposition of President’s rule, had then been shifted to the Crime Record Bureau. — UNI

Reservation for women
JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee had accorded 33 per cent reservation for women in its state committee. The committee included three vice-presidents — Mrs Shanti Pahariay, Mr S. Jahira Shameem, Mrs Madan Kaur, two general secretaries, nine secretaries and six members, according to a party note here on Wednesday. — PTI

Theatre festival
NEW DELHI: A 30-hour non-stop theatre festival will take off here on Friday in a unique gesture to honour actor and playwright Girish Karnad who has been chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith Award. The continuous theatre fest (Niranthara Ranga Suggi) coinciding with the award giving ceremony and World Theatre Day is being organised by Ranga Gangothri, a theatre and cultural organisation. The unique extravaganza, to be held at Karnataka Bhavan here, is the brainchild of four accomplished artistes of the Kannada theatre, Sathya Mulakatte, B.G. Ramakrishna, C.M. Thimmaiah and Malathi Saroj. — PTI

Journalists receive award
JAMSHEDPUR: Journalists Jyoti Punwani and K.R. Meera were honoured with the “Journalism for Human Rights” award instituted by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties. Ms Punwani, working with Mumbai-based “Mid Day”, received the award for her investigative reporting on the 1992 Mumbai riots and the Srikrishna Commission report. Ms Meera, of the regional “Malayala Manorama” daily, got the award for her write-up on exploitation of women in the handloom and handicraft sectors and other cottage industries. — PTI

Film Festival from March 26
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first International Travel Film Festival (ITFF), jointly organised by the Kerala Tourism Department, Comindia and Trivandrum Press Club, will commence on March 26 at the Kanakakkunnu Palace here. Announcing this at a function here on Wednesday to release the festival bulletin ‘ITFF News’, Tourism Director V. Venu said the festival, “the first of its kind” in the country, would be a regular fixture in the coming years. — PTI